Installing A LeBra Ultra Lift Tonneau - Budget Bedcover

Lebra's low-cost Ultra Lift Tonneau

In the world of tonneau covers, there are a lot of options to choose from. There are the hard fiberglass styles that look smooth and very custom. There are hard roll-up covers that work great for a workhorse-type truck, and then there are the soft styles. The hard-type covers look awesome but will set you back around 800 bucks or more. What if you are on a tighter budget? On the lower end of the price scale are the soft-style covers. Most of these covers don't open like their hard counter parts, instead they roll up. So, what if you are in the middle like I was? I didn't want to shell out a huge amount of cash, but I still wanted the convenience of a tonneau that opened like a huge trunk lid.

After a little searching, I came across the perfect solution to my quandary, the Ultra Lift from LeBra, a Global Accessories Company. The Ultra Lift is a soft tonneau that still opens like the fiberglass unit but will only set me back about 250 bucks. This cover features an aluminum frame that mounts on top of the truck bed with a few clamps. The frame is covered in a nice vinyl and even has a rubber seal to keep out the elements. What makes this tonneau even more convenient than its fiberglass counterparts is simple removal and storage. One person is able to unsnap the gas struts, pull two small pins, and lift the cover off. The unit is stable enough to be stored as it comes off, but if you are limited on space, it can be broken down and stored in a much smaller area.

I went to the shop early on a Saturday to install this cover, and as luck would have it, the California sky was not going to cooperate for very long. The normally sunny blue skies were turning dark in a hurry and ready to puke rain. I enlisted the help of my father, Sam, and we had the sucker installed in 15 minutes flat-that's while taking the pictures. We finished just in time for the rain to come down, which wasn't really a problem for me now because the stuff in my bed will stay nice and dry.